The use of sponge-like materials to apply conditioning and other cosmetic and skincare ingredients is known in the art. In some prior art products, a sponge is infused with a pre-determined quantity of a cosmetic product. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,253 describes a single-use cosmetic applicator sponge infused with moisturizer, cleanser, toner, make-up and tanning mousse. (To the extent pertinent, granted US patents and published US patent applications disclosed in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.) ULTA sells vitamin E infused sponges for use in applying makeup. See the following webpage accessed 29 May 2007: http://www.ulta.com/control/product/˜product_id=8011258. In another prior art product, Advanced Solutions MicroDermabrasion System from Neutrogena, a cosmetic composition is applied to a sponge and then to the skin or directly to the skin. An exfoliating cream containing anti-oxidants and vitamins is applied to a sponge head applicator and dotted onto the cheeks, chin and forehead. The applicator is used to gently massage the cream into the facial areas. There are, however, drawbacks in prior art infused sponges, including limitations on the number of uses and/or the ability to deliver active materials in a manner that provides substantive deposition on the desired substrate (e.g., skin or hair). These limitations are met by the articles of the present invention.
The use of quaternium cationic surfactants, more commonly referred to as “quats,” as conditioning agents in skincare and haircare compositions is well-known. Quats are ammonium salts in which hydrogen molecules are replaced by alkyl groups, at least one of which is a hydrocarbon chain, typically from 12 to 22 carbons in length, with the remaining alkyl groups being methyl. The counter anion in many quats is typically chloride but may also be another halide or a sulfate. See, e.g., Cosmetics & Toiletries, Vol. 110, No. 8, pp. 43-46 (1995.) Among the numerous quats used in personal care formulations are behentrimonium methosulfate (having three methyl groups and one behenyl group) distearyldimonium chloride (having two stearyl and two methyl groups) and steapyrium chloride.
The water-soluble and water-insoluble groups on surfactants are often referred to, respectively, as “head” and “tail”. The ability of quats to condition is attributable to the hydrophobic nature of the long hydrocarbon tail and the Cationic charge on the polar head. In an aqueous environment, quats dissociate into their ionic components. The electrostatic attraction between the cationic polar head and the anionic charge on skin and hair proteins, in combination with the lipophilic properties of the hydrocarbon tail, enable quats to confer substantivity and inhibit rinse-off.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,663 teaches a system for topical delivery of active ingredients from a multi-lamellar oil-in-water emulsion system comprised of a quaternary amine salt (i.e., behentrimonium methosulfate) at a use concentration of from 0.5% by weight of the total composition to about 5% by weight of the total composition and a fatty alcohol secondary emulsifier (i.e., cetearyl alcohol) where the fatty alcohol is present at a concentration of from 1.5 times to four times the amount of the behentrimonium methosulfate. (Unless otherwise indicated, percentages are based on the weight percentage of an ingredient relative to the weight of the entire composition.)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,951 teaches the combination of a fatty alcohol (at a concentration of from about 0.75% to about 22.5%) and a behenylquaternary surfactant (at a concentration of from about 0.25% to about 7.5%) in a shaving lotion emulsion, where water comprises from about 40% to about 90% of the emulsion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,633,403 and 5,601,811 teach personal care emulsions containing substantive water-soluble cationic UV-absorbing compounds (specifically cinnamido amine cationic quaternary salts). Among the examples taught in these patents is a hair conditioner formulation comprising behentrimonium methosulfate and a fatty alcohol (stearyl alcohol).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,069 teaches detergent, personal cleansing and cosmetic compositions having (i) an acyl taurate surfactant, (ii) a quaternium cation surfactant, (iii) low Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance (“HLB”) nonionic surfactants, and (iv) water. Among the disclosed cationic quats is distearyldimonium chloride. The low HLB nonionic surfactants are taught to be in the form of a solution or dispersion. The compositions infused in the personal care articles of the present invention do not contain acyl taurate surfactants.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,730,292 and 6,849,252 teach a rinse-off hair conditioner gel where the gel matrix is comprised of a cationic surfactant (preferably dialkylamido ethyl hydroxyethylmonium salt, dialkylamidoethyl dimonium salt, dialkyloyl ethyl hydroxyethylmonium salt or dialkyloyl ethyldimonium salt), a solid fatty compound (including stearyl and cetyl alcohols) and water. The ratio of the cationic surfactant to fatty solid is taught to be preferably from about 1:2 to about 1:10, and more preferably form about 1:3 to 1:5.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,104 teaches artificial tanning emulsion compositions containing positively-charged, concentric, lipid bilayer vesicles encapsulating an aqueous dihydroxyacetone solution. The vesicles are taught to be comprised of a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers (including Steareth-2), a sterol (cholesterol) and quaternary ammonium compounds (including distearyldimethyl ammonium chloride and steapyrium chloride). The use of number of emulsifiers well-known to those of skill in the art, including Steareth-20, is disclosed.
Unlike the emulsions systems taught in the prior art patents discussed in the preceding paragraphs, the solid compositions infused into the personal care articles of the present invention are anhydrous.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0108502 is directed to anhydrous hair conditioning compositions that can be applied to wet hair and/or wet skin to mix with water remaining on the hair and/or skin. More particularly, the disclosed anhydrous compositions relate to hair conditioners comprised of (i) a hydrophobic polyol (polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of from about 200 to about 100,000), (ii) a hydrophilic polyol (propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, glycerin, diglycerin, polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof), (iii) an oily conditioning agent, which is taught to include C14-C32 fatty alcohols and silicones and (iv) a cationic surfactant. Preferred cationic surfactants are taught to include behenyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and distearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. The '502 application Publication teaches the difficulty of obtaining expected conditioning efficacy from cosmetic compositions comprising oily conditioning components and a hydrophilic polyol carrier and claims that the pairing of specific hydrophobic and hydrophilic polyols provides better deposition and thus product efficacy in terms of conditioning benefits. The solid anhydrous compositions infused into the personal care articles of the present invention provide excellent conditioning as well as the ability to deliver desired active ingredients without the use of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic polyol pairings disclosed in the '502 application Publication.
In addition to haircare applications, steapyrium choloride has been used in skincare formulations for over forty years. Among the first such uses was Mennen's Baby Magic Lotion, which contained Emcol-E 607S at a concentration of below 1.00%.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,923,975 and 7,192,598 describe methods of enhancing moisture or reducing drying using a “wet skin” rinse-off treatment composition comprising an aqueous phase and a structured oil phase, the latter comprising a skin compatible oil (ester oils, hydrocarbon oils, and silicone oils) that is liquid below 35° C. and a structurant that forms a stable network of finely divided solids at a temperature below 35° C.
The use of cationic conditioning agents as part of a delivery system matrix is known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,460 describes the use of hydrophobic, positively-charged, solid nanospheres to deliver encapsulated active ingredients from soap bars. More particularly, a high cationic charge density is taught to be created on the surface of the disclosed nanospheres by incorporating a cationic conditioning agent and/or cationic charge booster into the solid hydrophobic matrix of the nanospheres.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,998,113, 7,001,592, 7,025,952 and 7,037,513 teach bodywash compositions containing sunscreen actives encapsulated in sol-gel microcapsules made of silica or modified silica, and a cationic polymer, preferably polyquaternium. The disclosed compositions are claimed to deposit sunscreens on the skin or hair after washing with the bodywash.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,146 teaches a personal washing composition containing (i) a surfactant, anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic or cationic, as well as soaps and mixtures of surfactants and/or soaps, (ii) a polymeric deposition aid (defined as a polymer with a cationic charge) and (iii) a sunscreen active encapsulated in a natural or synthetic wax capsule.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,226 teaches the use in a sponge of hydrophilic urethane polymers previously sold under the tradename Hypol by W. R. Grace & Co. The Hypol polymers are isocyanate-capped polyoxyethylene polyols that readily react with water and are further described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,417. These products were, however, difficult to scale-up commercially.
Multi-lamellar liquid crystal emulsion systems are emulsifier systems which form lamellar liquid crystals that mimic the multi-lamellar lipid structure of the stratum corneum and are known to those of skill in the art. They include Montanov® 68 (INCI: Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside) from Seppic Inc., and Crystalcast® (INCI: Cetearyl Alcohol, Sucrose Distearate and Sucrose Monostearate) from MMP, Inc. The latter is described in PCT/US2005/013023.
The use of solid fatty alcohols to promote lamellar phase formation in oil-in-water emulsions is known in the art. See, e.g., New Paradigm Technologies “Biobase™S: Product Information,” p. 1 (Undated) (combination glyceryl stearate, cetearyl alcohol and sodium stearoyl lactylate); International Specialty Products, “Prolipid™ 141 For Skin Care,” pg. 2 (April 1999) (use of behenyl, lauryl, myristyl and cetyl alcohols to aid in formation of lamellar phase in an emulsifier system also consisting of glyceryl stearate, stearic acid, palmitic acid and lecithin); Seppic, Inc., “Montanov: Emulsifiers in Harmony with Nature”, p. 1 (July 2000) (combination of solid fatty alcohols and glucosides).